The shadow of my heart
by Luthiena
Summary: This is the sequel to Two halves of one soul please read that story first it's good I promise.
1. A few teething problems

_A/N:- This story is the sequel to 'Two halves of One soul' and may not make much sense if you have not read the first. The story starts one week after the wish changed everything. I hope you enjoy and review. _

_By the way, I do not own Inuyasha or co. except for Ukil, Shioma, Retya and Niakto._

**Chapter 1**

Sesshoumaru woke up with a jolt half expecting to see Jaken and Rin packing up their belongings for the day's walk; however, it was only a few moments before those thoughts faded to the back of his mind – that was a past that never happened and a future that never would.

Turning to see the cause of his rude awakenings he saw only the tips of two snowy ears, judging by the sharp pains in his tail Inuyasha was once again using it as a chew toy.

"Inuyasha, let go."

"Esso!" Inuyasha's voice was extremely muffled, coming as it did from the depths of Sesshoumaru's tail.

Sighing elegantly Sesshoumaru reached around and forcibly lifted his brother off his tail and onto his lap, Inuyasha squirmed a bit but contented himself with spitting silver hairs in Sesshoumaru's face.

"Let me see how they're coming along then, pup. Open wide."

The tiny hanyou immediately stretched his mouth wide open; sure enough two baby fangs were starting to poke through the gums.

"Fearsome." Sesshoumaru's voice was half-amused and half-sarcastic but Inuyasha didn't notice that.

"Esso come with Inu now, play game."

"What sort of game?"

"Play with Ervans."

"You mean servants, come on say ser-vants."

"Eeeeeeerrrrrrr-vvvvaaannnnssss."

"Close enough."

Holding his brother in his arms Sesshoumaru stood and went to the window, he pulled back the rushes that covered the opening and was shocked to see the moon was still out.

"Inuyasha, what game are you playing with the servants at this hour?"

"Hide and seek. I go down see cook but she not there, nobody there."

Immediately Sesshoumaru was alert for any foreign sounds or scents in his castle but he caught none; in fact he caught no sounds or scents, they were totally alone in the castle.

Trying to hide his rising panic he placed Inuyasha on the bed and looked at him sternly.

"Stay here, pup."

The hanyou pup's amber eyes filled with tears and his bottom lip began to tremble preporatory to having a tantrum but for once Sesshoumaru didn't give in; he merely turned and left the room, striding purposefully down the corridors until he reached the servants quarters.

Pushing open the door he was straight away assaulted with the stench of blood and burning flesh; apprehensively he walked further in only to be confronted by the sight of all two hundred and seventy three of his servants dead, most had been placed in a large pile and set alight but some were arranged in grotesque positions.

A child was placed in it's mother's lap, two lovers were set as if enjoying an intimate moment and three were arranged around a wooden table with playing cards in front of them.

The patter of tiny feet startled the youkai lord, turning he saw Inuyasha staring at the scene of carnage with an expression of utter horror on his face, he took one look at Sesshoumaru and ran.

As Sesshoumaru started to go after him the door slammed shut of its own accord, behind the door was a drawing in blood – it was a perfect image of Inuyasha how he had been before the wish, fully grown with the Tetsusaiga.

The message written underneath said one thing.

"You are not the only one who remembers."

_**(Meanwhile)**_

Kagome sat and wept, she had been walking for days in this strange land and her feet were bruised and sore; through her mind images of her mother, grandfather and Souta were mixing in a confused and terrified jumble.

"Don't cry good lady."

The soft voice startled Kagome and she fell back into the rushes staring up at the face of a young man; this was the first sign of life she had seen in the four days since she had fallen down the well and Kagome could have sung with happiness.

"I – I'm lost."

"Where are you from?"

"Tokyo."

"Toe-kee-oh? Never heard of it."

"But…but, I have to get back. My mother will be worried and I'm so tired."

Kagome dissolved into sobs again, the young man knelt next to her and removed his cloak placing it round her shoulders.

"There, there. I will help you."

"Thank-you. My name is Kagome." Gratefully Kagome huddled into the cloak.

"And mine….mine is Onigumo."

_A/N:- Hope you liked the first chapter. Please review._


	2. Niakta and a small fox demon

**Chapter 2**

Niakta smiled as she walked along the hard dirt road, she wrapped her arms around herself and almost laughed out loud she was so happy.

Slung across her back was a sack made out of a bundle of clothes, the contents bulged from the side strangely and but if any she met thought so they gave no indication.

Suddenly her keen eyesight spotted what it was looking for and she hastened towards the silvery stream; laying down her sack carefully she knelt beside the water and swept her long black hair from her face.

As she started to wash herself she became aware of someone watching her; without moving from her spot by the stream she snatched out her arm behind her.

The arm snaked out bent at angles a human could never replicate and elongating to more than twenty feet; the clawlike fingers snatched the human male from his hiding spot and lifted him effortlessly back to where she was sat.

As she placed him on the ground in front of her she locked her ice blue eyes on his face and began humming softly, the tune was lilting and seemed to seep into the man's very soul until he was haunted by it and all coherent thought left his mind until his only impulse was to be close to her.

She stood and clasped her hands around his waist, she began swaying her body hypnotically in time to the music; he was so mesmerized he did not even feel it when her hands punctured his flesh, his last feeling before he died was regret at leaving.

Niakta knelt once again by the side of the stream and carefully unfolded the bundle next to her; within was the crumpled body of a young woman with raven black hair, she threw the body into the stream contemptuously and replaced it with the body of the young man.

She gazed at her reflection in the stream and admired the body that stared back; for what she now saw was a young healthy man with brown hair and soft brown eyes.

This time she did laugh out loud, the laugh was deep and hysterical, with joy sparkling in her eyes she picked up the bundle, slung it across her back and continued along the road.

_Yes,_ she thought, _this body will do – for now. All that matters is that I am free and I am coming for you, my brother._

_**(Meanwhile)**_

Onigumo regarded the girl walking next to him with covetous eyes; she was beautiful, of that there was no doubt, but there was something strange and otherworldly about her too.

"Where are you taking me?" Kagome's voice pierced Onigumo's thoughts.

"My village, my brother should be able to help you. He is widely traveled and has probably been to your Toe-key-oh."

"How much further is it?"

"Only a day or so; I come from the village of the demon exterminators."

Onigumo's voice held such a note of pride that Kagome nodded politely although she was beginning to wonder if he was entirely sane; after all this was about the third time since they met that he had mentioned demons.

They walked in silence for the rest of the day and made camp when twilight began to fall; Onigumo built a campfire and lit it quickly, Kagome huddled close to it trying to get to sleep quickly.

A small rustling sound seemed to be coming from a bush close to the camp and she couldn't sleep for fear it was a wild animal; she turned to ask Onigumo to investigate but he was already sound asleep and snoring.

Mustering up all her courage she parted the leaves on the bush and peered in; the scream that followed echoed around the countryside, the thing she had disturbed was now clutching to her leg and begging her to stop screaming.

Kagome couldn't remember ever feeling more terrified; there was a small thing attached to her leg, it could have been a child if it hadn't had two red ears growing from the top of its head.

She calmed slightly when she felt the thing being lifted from her leg by Onigumo; he was holding it at arms length and staring at her as if she was a madwoman.

"What's wrong?"

"It….it's a…what is it?"

"I'm not an it!" The small thing piped up indignantly. "I'm a he, a fox demon – tremble at my mercy human wench for I am the mighty Shippo!"

Onigumo shook Shippo impatiently.

"Mighty? You're only a cub. Besides, what were you doing in here?"

Suddenly Shippo looked rather sheepish, he cast his eyes down to the floor and blushed; surprised at herself Kagome felt the need to cuddle him and comfort him.

"I was hungry."

Snorting in disgust Onigumo threw the fox demon cub to the floor and pointed away from them.

"No, don't make him leave." Kagome startled herself as much as she did the others, but she didn't want a harmless child sent away into the night alone.

Shippo ran to her in delight and she scooped him up in her arms, his tiny tail tickled her arms and she laughed as she hugged him.

"You're actually kind of cute."

By the time she turned to Onigumo to ask if Shippo could stay he was asleep again.

_A/N:- All the original gang are to be making appearances in this story but Niakta is the one to watch. Thanks to you all for being so kind about both stories, I never thought they were any good myself - keep reviewing. Hugs...luthiena_


	3. A monk's wandering hands

**Chapter 3**

The young girl giggled as she ran a hand through her hair, placing her hand on her hip she tried to stand in a provocative position but she was too young for it to truly work – instead she fell over.

"Here let me help you up, good Lady."

The young monk offered her his hand and pulled her to an upright position; instead of letting go he pulled her close to him and let his hand roam to her backside.

"I have a very important question to ask you."

"Yes Lord Miroku?"

"Will you bear my children?"

The young farm girl blushed a deep crimson and was about to reply when the monk fell to the dirt clutching his head; stood behind him was a beautiful woman wielding a large boomerang-bone, she was looking down at the monk with a mixture of resignation, amusement and irritation.

"Forgotten about somebody Miroku?"

Miroku smiled sheepishly and got to his feet.

"Erm…"

"Aren't you content with one woman to carry your children?"

She indicated to her stomach which was indeed swollen to considerable size; the girl forgotten Miroku stood and stroked the bump lovingly before kissing the fierce young woman.

"Sango, you know I could never love any woman but you."

She arched her eyebrow and indicated to where the young farm girl had been stood before she fled; Miroku shrugged his shoulders and smiled.

"Old habits die hard."

_**(Meanwhile)**_

Niakta watched and waited.

She had not moved from her position in the bushes for over three hours, she was observing a tiny hanyou puppy knelt on the ground by a large oak tree; the puppy was crying and his ears were flattened to his head.

Normally she would have finished off the hanyou in seconds but a powerful demon aura growing ever closer made her hesitate – it's not that she was afraid, just curious.

Sesshoumaru came running into the small clearing at top speed; he was so worried about his brother he did not smell the silent observer, he merely gathered Inuyasha into his arms and held him tightly.

"Do not cry, pup."

"Dead…they was deaded Esso."

"I know, but we can get other servants."

As the words left his mouth Sesshoumaru knew it was the wrong thing to say; with his youkai blood the deaths of servants didn't bother him overly much but his brother, with his half-human heart, would be horrified.

Sure enough Inuyasha looked up at Sesshoumaru with a mixture of horror and anger, he struggled to get out of his brother's protective grip but Sesshoumaru was too strong.

"Didn't Esso like the ervans?"

"Yes, I didn't mean what I said Inu."

It was only then that Sesshoumaru caught the scent of the intruder to their little scene; it wasn't often that anything scared the Great Demon Lord of the West but what he smelt made his blood run cold and yet he wasn't even sure what it was.

Niakta, realising she had been sensed decided to act. She propelled herself from the bushes at a speed so fast even the youkai Lord didn't have time to react.

The last thing Sesshoumaru remembered before slipping into blackness was a sharp pain in his chest and the cries of his brother.


	4. Jakeata

**Chapter 4**

As Sesshoumaru awoke it was once again to blackness; but this time it was not the blackness of the barrier between life and death – he screamed but no sound issued from his lips.

It was not the comforting feeling of completeness that had overcome him before his wish had been made flesh, instead he felt as though he were falling slowly.

Abruptly he felt himself jerk to a stop even though his feet had never left the ground, looking up he saw a pair of bright green eyes glowing in the darkness – he couldn't see the figure but he got the distinct impression that it was smiling at him, mocking him.

Sesshoumaru growled deep in his throat.

"Who are you?"

If he was surprised that his voice actually had sound now he gave no indication, instead his face slipped into the mask of neutrality that used to be so familiar to him.

"I am who I am and can be no other."

The voice was mocking and full of barely concealed laughter.

"Your name, child?"

"Jakeata."

"What are you doing here?"

"Talking to you."

Once again Sesshoumaru's low growl sounded dangerously into the obsidian blackness; this thing was trying what little patience remained.

"Why am I here? Where is here?"

Suddenly the thing's demeanour shifted, he was no longer mocking and carefree; a fire seemed to light his eyes from within as he alighted next to Sesshoumaru – at one strange word of command a light blazed brighter than the sun before fading to reveal the two were stood in a small stone chamber.

In the middle of the room was a wooden table marked by many spills of food, wine and candle wax; on the table was laid a single loaf of bread and a pitcher of red wine – the two chairs were little more than stools.

Sesshoumaru looked at the thing in front of him with cold curiosity; what he saw looked like a young mortal boy but something seemed wrong, instead of having solid edges where the skin ended this boy seemed merely to fade until the edges were no more.

His hair was brown and curled tightly, it fell to just below his ears in a disorganised jumble; his eyes were green and full of a power that unnerved even the great youkai lord. He was much shorted than Sesshoumaru and very lanky in frame; his clothes were that of a peasant and he wore a short sword buckled loosely to his belt.

Noticing him looking Jakeata smiled and in a flash was changed; even Sesshoumaru could not hide his surprise when he saw a mirror image of himself staring back at him, another flash followed and the mortal boy was back.

"Come sit." Following his own advice Jakeata sat upon one of the stools and broke the bread, noticing Sesshoumaru had made no effort to move he smiled kindly and beckoned to the Great Demon Lord.

Warily Sesshoumaru approached the table and gracefully, throwing the stool a look of disdain, he sat cross-legged on the floor.

"I have brought you here for a reason; this land is in more danger than you can ever comprehend – and it is your fault."

_**(Meanwhile)**_

Inuyasha ran blindly, the tears of fear ran down his face so fast and hard all he could see were vague blurs of the trees around him; he was navigating by scent alone – he didn't want to leave Sesshoumaru but his puppy mind was telling him to get help.

His keen nose picked up the unmistakable scent of humans; hoping they were of a kindly disposition to demons he ran towards them, as he burst out of the trees almost at their feet he realised he had made a big mistake.

_A/N:- Thanks to all of you for reviewing; also thanks to a friend of mine called Jonathan for his contribution of the character Jakeata._


	5. In the beginning

_A/N:- I realise I have not made a disclaimer so here it is...disclaimer. Tee hee. This chapter contains very slight yaoi so you have been warned. By the way, this is meant to be a series in four parts. If you want me to write the whole series then please review and say so._

**Chapter 5**

A silence fell over the small stone room broken only by the sound of Jakeata munching on the loaf of bread; Sesshoumaru sat, stunned, his fingers tracing a nervous path through the silvery hairs on his tail – a habit from childhood.

"What do you mean?"

"What do you know of the shikon-no-tama?"

Sesshoumaru bit down his impatience of this creature as he truly wanted answers; he unconsciously folded his hands in his lap as though he were once again in the schoolroom and recited in a monotone.

"The shikon-no-tama is also known as the Jewel of Four Souls; nobody truly knows how, when or why it came into being, although there has been many different theories. The origins of the Jewel appear to be situated in the village of the demon exterminators but even they have little knowledge – the story of the woman in the cave is merely a folktale. Its power is great and it increases the power of whomever possesses it – beyond that my knowledge and interest of this subject ends."

Jakeata smiled and when he spoke his voice was soft and distant.

"Do you know they say a picture speaks a thousand words."

"Are riddles all you can speak?"

"Come with me, I will take you to a place when even Nature herself was young."

Jakeata rose from the stool and walked gracefully to where Sesshoumaru sat, with seemingly no effort he lifted the great youkai to his feet; it was at that moment Sesshoumaru realised that once again Jakeata had changed shape and was the same height as he but with the same features as the boy-shape he seemed to favour.

Locking Sesshoumaru's amber eyes with his green ones Jakeata gripped the demon's forearms in a bruising grip; he leaned in so his mouth was next to Sesshoumaru's pointed ear, he whispered so softly and seductively Sesshoumaru found himself shiver.

"Trust me, see with my eyes."

Jakeata brushed his lips across Sesshoumaru's before kissing him deeply; the great demon lord found he could not move, when Jakeata pulled away he found himself alone in the middle of a vast waste ground.

_The land stretched before Sesshoumaru empty and barren; nothing in sight but brown earth, no trees, no animals, no life._

_He turned to look behind him and saw Jakeata seated on the ground with a look of sorrow on his face so profound it seemed he would die._

"_Where have you taken me?"_

"_We are here at the beginning of time when the shikon jewel was forged; when time began and the earth was new. Back then there were five spirits in existence; two were what we would now call good and two evil – the final and most powerful was neither good nor evil. The fifth spirit grew tired of her existence and the bare earth she inhabited – all the company she had were the other four spirits who spent their time in war against each other. She had a dream to create a species of balance who would roam the earth and populate it; but in order to create a pathway for them to survive she first needed to relieve the world of the other four spirits."_

_It was at that moment that Sesshoumaru realised they were travelling even though their feet had not moved; a great dust cloud could be seen in the distance and as they approached they could see five figures locked in battle._

"_The battle that followed lasted for ten of your mortal years but in the end the fifth spirit, known as Pdika, managed to enclose all other spirits in a small jewel of power. Because of the equal balance of good and evil in the jewel it was capable of bestowing both good and evil powers on those who possess it; it is merely unfortunate that those who would seek to possess it are mostly evil."_

_Sesshoumaru found himself swept up in the story, for as Jakeata spoke the landscape shifted around them into a series of still frames depicting what he was saying._

"_During the battle both the good and evil spirits created beings to fight for them which were left behind when their masters were enclosed in the jewel; the evil spirits created demons of all types and the good spirits created humans with their emotions and compassion. Pdika was sorely injured in the battle and as she lay dying alone she finally created her own species, with the power of the demon and the compassion of the human. The hanyou was her creation and, though limited in number, possess a greater understanding and power than many of us can dream of."_

The scene faded away back to the small stone room with the two companions stood in silence; it was a long time before Sesshoumaru found the courage to speak.

"I understand, but how does this relate to me?"

"When you made your wish the shikon-no-tama was supposedly destroyed; but the collective intelligence of the first four spirits kept it in this world, the barriers holding them in weakened and one managed to push her way to freedom and your world. She wishes to free her brother and put the world back as it was; with no life, no light and no love. As you freed her only you can imprison her once again; her name is Niakta, she is the embodiment of the body."

Sesshoumaru's mind swam with questions and half-finished thoughts, eventually he managed to pick one out of the din and ask it.

"What do you mean 'embodiment of the body'?"

"Each of the four spirits embodies one of the four pillars of life. Niakta is the body, Adamika, her brother, is the mind. Sukoora represents the soul and I represent the heart."


	6. Inside the jewel

**Chapter 6**

Minutes seemed to stretch into hours as Sesshoumaru sat cross-legged on the floor of the small room trying to digest all the new information he had just been bombarded with; when he finally spoke his voice was trembling with emotion and most unlike his own.

"So all this is my fault?"

Jakeata merely nodded silently.

"Where are we? Where is here?"

"Inside the shikon-no-tama."

"What!"

"The barriers holding us in have reformed and we are once again prisoners."

"What about me, how do I get out?"

Jakeata shrugged his shoulders with a small sad smile on his face.

"But…but what about Inuyasha. I can't leave him alone."

"There is no escape."

_A/N:- I know this is a tiny chapter but the next one will be loads longer, promise._


	7. Demons and hanyous and monks, oh my!

**Chapter 7 **

Inuyasha lay trembling on the ground, his ears twitching violently with fear; he curled his body into a foetal ball and tried his hardest to disappear – he could hear the human voices above him arguing about him.

"He's a demon, it's our duty to destroy him."

"No, Miroku. He's just a child, he doesn't mean us any harm."

"How do you know that? Demons come in all shapes and sizes, Sango, just because he's small doesn't mean he's not dangerous."

"But look at him, he's terrified."

"That could just be an act to get you to lower your defences."

Sango let out a short exasperated sigh and knelt down beside the tiny demon quivering on the floor; she wrapped her arm around his body and gently pulled him into an upright position.

"Are you lost?" Sango's voice was soft and comforting; Inuyasha nodded, his lip trembling.

Inuyasha, having decided the woman was not threatening him, moved closer and tried to climb on her lap; he was stopped short when the a long metal staff hit the ground forcefully just in front of his nose – he looked up to see the monk scowling down at him.

"Miroku!" Sango snapped as she stood up.

"He was moving to attack you."

"Oh yes, the dread attack of the terrified child."

"He was."

"Wasn't."

"Was."

"Wasn't"

Inuyasha's eyes darted between the two as his ears flattened ever closer to his head; finally he could bear it no longer and burst into tears, he stared up at Sango out of heart-rending amber eyes and beseeched her through his sobs.

"I…want…my….ESSO!"

Casting a dirty look at Miroku, Sango gathered the crying pup into her arms and began swaying gently.

"There, there. Miroku didn't mean to scare you; we'll help you find your esso – where did you leave it?"

"Esso over there." Inuyasha pointed one stubby finger in the direction of the heart of the forest.

Sango exchanged a worried look with Miroku, who was by now looking vaguely uncomfortable now that it was obvious Inuyasha wasn't a deadly demon in disguise.

"We can't go in there, that's the borders of the Western Lands."

"ESSO!"

"Listen, we can't go in there. That is the domain of the most powerful and feared demon in the land; he will kill us if we go there."

Inuyasha looked confused for a moment before his eyes became wide with fear; what if this big powerful demon got hold of his brother?

"Got to get Esso!"

"What is your….er….esso?"

"Brother."

Sango immediately pictured another tiny puppy lost and alone in the forests of the Western Lands, she hoisted Inuyasha more firmly onto her hip and set off towards the forest without a backward glance at Miroku.

"Your brother's name is Esso?"

"Nope…Esso…oh…mah…shew."

"Esshomashew…oh no."

Sango stopped short as the full implications of what she had just realised hit her.

"Not Sesshoumaru?"

_A/N :- Bit of an inbetween-y chapter this one but it is needed for the next few to make sense._


	8. The false Sesshoumaru

**Chapter 8**

For the first time in many years the tears ran freely down Sesshoumaru's face; he ran blindly around the small room tearing at the walls with his claws, fangs, sword and anything else that came to hand, finally, bloody and panting he stopped.

Jakeata regarded the youkai solemnly and reflected that this crying defenceless being couldn't have looked less like a feared demon lord if he tried; moving over to Sesshoumaru, Jakeata placed began stroking the youkai's long silver hair, Sesshoumaru jerked away as though he had been burnt.

"You keep away from me!" Sesshoumaru's voice was dripping with venom.

"What have I done?"

"You did this to me! You brought me here and gave me this knowledge, you trapped me here and now I can't get back. I'd just got my life back." Sesshoumaru's voice died down to a whisper. "I'd just got _him_ back."

"I had to bring you here."

"Why?"

"You would have died otherwise; Niakta was draining your spirit."

"I would have fought her."

Jakeata merely shook his head sadly and sat cross-legged on the ground beside the broken youkai.

"I can show you the outside if that is what you wish."

Sesshoumaru nodded.

"Show me."

The air around the pair seemed to shimmer and swirl as though a small tornado was forming, eventually pictures began to form in the centre and as the pair watched the pictures began to gain definition.

_Sesshoumaru stood in the forest clearing where he had been attacked; however, there were no visible signs of the struggle. He re-adjusted his two swords and strode off into the forest._

_Inuyasha, barely a mile from Sesshoumaru, was nestling in the arms of a young mortal woman who was clearly heavily pregnant; they were accompanied by a monk and were all clearly on edge._

"How is that possible?" Sesshoumaru asked, pointing at the images with a puzzled look on his face. "How can I be there and here at the same time?"

Jakeata did not answer, his face was white as a sheet as he slowly sank to his knees.

Growling loudly, eyes flashing red with his barely restrained demonic nature, Sesshoumaru grasped Jakeata by the hair and pulled him up until they were face to face.

"Explain."

"Niakta can take any body she so desires as long as the body is without spirit."

"YOU GAVE THIS THING MY BODY?"

Jakeata nodded mutely, his face was still ashen; a terrible thought struck Sesshoumaru dumb, he trembled as the full implications of what might happen sunk in.

"What if it finds Inuyasha?"

Letting out a howl of anguish Sesshoumaru began to once more attack the walls in a frenzied rage.

_**(Meanwhile)**_

"Esso!" Inuyasha was practically falling out of Sango's arms in his excitement; he could smell that his brother was close.

"Sango, are you sure we should be doing this?"

Sango glanced at Miroku out of troubled eyes, she motioned for them to take a seat on the ground; she put Inuyasha down gently and turned to Miroku.

"We don't have a choice, Miroku. We can't just leave a lost child to fend for itself; besides, we would more probably get killed by Lord Sesshoumaru for abandoning his brother. If we return his safely, perhaps he will be lenient."

Confused as to why they had stopped when they were obviously so close to his brother Inuyasha began to follow the scent alone; he disappeared into the trees unnoticed by the arguing couple, with his nose to the ground he quickly covered the distance he needed to.

Looking up he saw a familiar figure through the trees, shouting loudly he ran with his arms outstretched.

"ESSO!"

Niakta turned in surprise as a small red blur leapt into her arms, realising the possible benefits she forced her lips into a smile and wrapped her arms, a little awkwardly, around the tiny hanyou.


	9. A hanyou's sacrifice

**Chapter 9**

"Can I die?"

Sesshoumaru's voice was soft and emotionless; he was drained and quiet, he had clawed at the walls for hours and could fight no longer.

Jakeata looked over at him in surprise.

"Why would you want to?"

Sesshoumaru didn't answer, he simply turned his head back to the shimmering picture of the world outside and watched helplessly as his little brother was embraced by evil.

_**(Meanwhile)**_

Sango and Miroku followed the tiny hanyou uncertainly, they had heard Inuyasha's cry of delight and were more than a little nervous about coming face-to-face with the great demon lord Sesshoumaru himself.

Niakta turned cold amber eyes on the two humans who stood before her, dropping the hanyou unceremoniously she advanced on them slowly, smiling in anticipation of the kill.

She could almost taste their heart's blood already, it had been too long since she had devoured a human's essence, felt the still-beating heart slip down her throat.

A low growl issuing from the depths of her throat she cracked the claws that belonged to this youkai body, eyes flashing red she bent her knees preparatory to pouncing.

Inuyasha, just getting over the shock of being dropped, saw Sesshoumaru about to attack the two kind humans who had helped him.

Running with all the speed the demon blood in him could muster he stabbed his claws into his brother's tail and held on for dear life.

Her attention on Miroku and Sango, Niakta didn't notice Inuyasha until it was two late, her momentum was already propelling her forward but the sharp claws digging into her tail caused her to try and stop, the result of which is that she overbalanced and fell to the floor.

Inuyasha walked around to look down on his brother, he folded his arms across his chest and attempted a stern expression.

"No! Bad Esso!"

Sango and Miroku had watched all of this nervously, at this point they decided it would be prudent to leave the two brothers to their reunion; before they could move, however, the demon lord was on his feet.

Seething that she had been made to look a fool by a child Niakta jumped to her feet in one fluid motion and reached down to the hanyou, she picked him up by the scruff of his neck with one hand and then with all the rage and embarrassment she felt she wrenched his head until she heard the neck break and then threw the limp corpse with such force that when it struck a nearby boulder the sickening crack of the spine breaking was easily audible.

_**(Meanwhile)**_

Kagome turned over in her sleep, sweat beading on her forehead she was obviously in the throes of a nightmare.

Suddenly she sat bolt upright in the darkness and screamed so loudly her throat was raw and aching when she was silent; sobs racked her body as she sat shaking, her lips moved soundlessly – over and over forming one word.

"Inuyasha."

_A/N – So sorry this has taken so long to do but I have been very busy with work, moving house, etc. Please R+R, I'm sorry about the angsty stuff (no wait…no I'm not…) but please bear with me._


	10. Remembering Inuyasha

**Chapter 10**

It was as though someone had flicked a switch inside Kagome's head; words, pictures, events, names, places and much more swam in and out of focus as she lay on the cold ground.

Her head hurt and her eyes saw a million people and places at once, without realising it she rolled over and vomited. One face above all others stood out prominently; smiling, laughing, scowling, shouting and even tender - she looked at this face and smiled, her lips moved and she whispered a name.

"Inuyasha"

Onigumo and Shippo sat at opposite ends of the small campsite watching Kagome; Shippo kept darting towards her and retreating, his ears flat to his head as he tried to think of a way to help her. Onigumo smiled to himself as his hands went unconsciously to the small of his back where it had once again started to burn.

Seeing that the fox-cub's attention was fully on the girl Onigumo reached into his bag slowly and drew out a hunting knife which he hid up his sleeve; the smile threatened to become laughter as he advanced on her, he forced it down and made himself look concerned.

"Are you alright? Can you hear me?"

Kneeling next to her, he put his lips close to her ear and whispered in a low voice.

"Sleep now, Kikyo. Soon you will be mine."

**_(Meanwhile)_**

As the small body hit the rock Sesshoumaru felt himself sink to the ground; his eyes swam with tears he has not even felt rising and his breath felt tight in his chest. Every heart beat sounded as loud as a drum in his ears, his entire being seemed to break as the grief threatened to overwhelm him while each second felt like a lifetime. A ball of rage started to burn in the centre of his being, it burnt hotter and more powerfully until in engulfed the grief he felt in a white hot rage which punded at him harder and harder until it emerged from his throat as a loud and wordless howl that made his throat raw.

Jakeata watched him wordlessly, no emotion showed on his face and his eyes were hard as stone.

Making a decision he clapped his hands and the sound was like thunder in the silence; the images of the world outside disappeared leaving them alone once more.

_A/N :- I am so sorry, I know this is short and has been a very long time in coming but I swear to you on my anime collection (gulp) that there will be a chapter per few days for the next month or so until it is done. Please R & R_


	11. The cave

**Chapter 11**

Sango and Miroku stood barely six feet from the tiny corpse of Inuyasha, recovering from their shock they moved almost as one; Sango drew her boomerang bone and Miroku drew a paralysing sutra.

Niakta turned to observe the two mortals, she raised an eyebrow in amusement as they began their attack. The boomerang bone barely bruised her when it hit just above the elbow; it was the monk that intrigued her, he seemed to be weilding a piece of paper in her direction.

Miroku threw the sutra putting all his power behind it, it struck the tall demon on the chest and stuck to the kimono; Sango ran to the body of the hanyou pup and gathered him into her arms.

Niakta's mind reeled in shock, what was happening to her? How was she being held still by a mere piece of paper? It made no sense to her and yet however hard she tried she could not move, and then she felt it, the power behind the monk and the power keeping her still. She raged furiously against herself for not realising that humans must still draw power from Jakeata and Sukoora, just as demons still drew power from herself and her brother.

"He's still alive!" Sango's voice cut through the silence in the clearing. "He's breathing,but barely. Quickly, we must get him back to the village."

"What about Sesshoumaru?" Miroku asked glancing at the prone figure behind them.

Sango removed her shawl and handed it to Miroku.

"Tie him up and bring him."

_**(Meanwhile)**_

Onigumo carried Kagome away from the campfire and the questioning eyes of the fox-demon cub; he carried her for almost an hour until they reached a small cave, inside he laid her on an old pallet stiffed with straw.

Rubbing the small of his back unconsciously he left her lying there and walked slowly to the back of the cave where the shadows were darkest; as he flet around the walls he found what he was looking for, a gap in the walls of the cave just big enough to squeeze through.

As he walked through the tunnel beyond the cave, the pain in his back increased with every step, the shadows seemed to deepen to an obsidean black. He never faltered in the darkness but walked on steadily as though dreaming until the passageway widened into another cave deep in the heart of the hill, on the floor glinted shards of glass; light that wasn't there reflected off them casting eerie pictures on the walls.

Onigumo knelt before the shards of glass and bent his head as though before a lord of king; he slammed his palms down onto the glass until he felt the blood run freely. Pressing his palms together he smiled.

"I am here, my lord. As always I remain your humble servant."

The glass clouded gradually until the shards were no longer clear, but opaque; all at once the shards emitted a bright light upwards and in the centre of this light stood the figure of a man. This man was stood before Onigumo so close they could have reached out and touched one another, and yet he seemed miles away. His face was all at once benevolent, smiling and full of hate; he was not tall nor short, he was not fat nor thin, he was not anything and yet he was everything at once.

His voice did not seem to come from the man but from inside Onigumo's very soul, it was both comforting and terrifying to the extreme.

"Remove your shirt."

Onigumo hastened to obey wincing at the now almost unbearable pain in his back, when the shirt lay discarded on the floor the figure smiled without moving its lips; for it could see that on Onigumo's back was now the faint outline of a spider.

It was time.

_A/N:- See I keep my promises, another relitively short chapter but the next one will more than make up for it. Please R & R, thanks to all of you who already have._


	12. A downward spiral

**Chapter 12**

Niakta tried to imagine herself someplace far from where she was; to her mind it was utterly inconceivable that she had been brought down by two mere mortals and a hanyou puppy – this time was truly different to the world she remembered.

Miroku exhaled heavily, red in the face and sweat pouring down his brow as he struggled to drag along the paralysed demon lord; it didn't help that the youkai was at least a foot taller than him and it certainly didn't help that Sango was barely concealing her amusement at the situation.

"Don't laugh at me!" Miroku panted, mopping his brow.

"Well I would help you, but..." Sango gestured to her swollen belly and giggled.

Muttering curses Miroku continued his tugging and groaning, until eventually the village of Kaede swam into view; with one final grunt Miroku heaved the prone youkai to the steps of Kaede's hut and collapsed wheezing on the floor.

Kaede, hearing the racket Miroku was making, came out of her hut and smiled warmly at the couple; sher an an appraising eye over Sango and, satisfied that she was healthy, she looked to the problem at hand.

"Why have you brought him here?"

"This is Sesshoumaru, of the Western Lands. We were returning his younger brother to him when he lashed out at both him and us."

Suddenly remembering the tiny hanyou Sango unrolled the shawl she had been carrying close to her body to reveal Inuyasha, his head was bent at an unnatural angle and his chest barely rose and fell.

Uttering a short cry of surprise and sympathy Kaede took the shawl gently from Sango and laid it carefully on the floor; kneeling next to the hanyou she ran expert fingers over his body and head.

"If he were human he would be dead now; as a matter of fact most hanyou would not survive this but the demon blood in his veins must run strongly. If in fact he is related to Lord Sesshoumaru here, as you say, then the presence of Inu no Taisho's bloodline would explain why he survived."

"Will he be alright?"

Kaede examined him once more before nodding her head slightly.

_**(Meanwhile)**_

Time had no meaning for Sesshoumaru as he sat, his arms curled around his knees and his tail wrapped around his body defensively. He could have been there for ten seconds or ten years and it wouldn't have mattered; the grief and anger that had poured out of him had left him exhausted and broken, the beats of his heart sounded too loud in his ears and his breathing rasped slightly.

He buried his head in his tail allowing the soft fur to envelop him and block out everything; it was with a jolt that he realised he could see Jakeata looking down at him with dismay – his tail was slowly becoming transparent.

He held a hand up before his eyes only to realise it was almost translucent; he shot to his feet and reached out to grab Jakeata only to have his hand pass harmlessly through the other's forearm.

"What have you done to me?"

_**(Meanwhile)**_

The figure of the man looked down on Onigumo and began to laugh, it was a mirthless laugh filled with twisted rage and anger; it got louder and louder until flecks of rock began crumbling from the walls of the cave and Onigumo covered his ears with his hands.

Abruptly he stopped and Onigumo felt as though he were drowning in the sudden silence; knowing better than to show fear he resumed his prostate position on the ground and waited; his eyes widened in fear and his mouth opened in a terrible silent scream as the man touched him just once with a fingertip.

Ice seemed to flood his veins and his skin contracted, thousands of tiny needles pricked him all over and he felt his bones splinter inside his body.

Writhing on the floor he felt his fang teeth elongate and sharpen, felt a new type of power course through him – red hot and raw with strength – his pupils dilated and changed shape and the spider mark on his back glowed with an intensity that rivalled the shards of mirror.

Finally it was done and he lay, sweating, shaking and naked in the dust on the floor of the cave, when his master spoke he heard his voice more clearly, as if his hearing was magnified.

"Stand."

Pushing himself to his feet he realised the pain was already leaving his body, he looked up at his master with respect and fear.

"There is a girl in the outer cave, do you remember her?"

Onigumo nodded; yes, he remembered her, remembered he brought her here but not why.

"She is important, my servant, you must take her to a village far to the south of here to a woman name Kaede and await my instructions."

"As you command, master, so shall it be done."

He bowed and left the cave, hurrying back to where he had left the girl unconscious; he ran through the tunnels at a speed he did not remember being able to achieve before, soon he was back at her side.

He picked her up, with far more ease than before, and carried her to a nearby stream where he wet her lips and forehead with the water; before long she groaned and her eyelids flickered open.

Kagome groaned softly, her head felt as though she had been hit with a baseball bat and her vision was fuzzy; she squeezed her eyes tightly shut and then blinked them rapidly to bring them into focus.

Before her stood a man, he looked somehow familiar but she couldn't place him; his eyes were black as the night, the same as his long flowing hair, and he had a commanding air about him.

Blushing she wondered how she didn't notice his nakedness before, she lowered her eyes to the ground feeling her cheeks burn.

"W- who are you?"

The man cocked his head as though considering the question before replying as though the answer had just come to him.

"Naraku."

_A/N:- Mwahahahahahahahahahahahaha...coughsplutterahem...Mwhahahahahahahahahha..._

_Sorry about the delay in chapters but my server is acting up something rotten and I am having trouble updating, please bear with me_


	13. Two minds, one body

**Chapter 13**

Sesshoumaru struggled to open his eyes; his ears where filled with the deafening sound of his own harsh breathing, he could almost feel his body vibrate with each new beat of his heart.

Joy welled up inside him as he realised he was back in his own body; finally he managed to wrench his eyes open and survey the scene around him.

He was still bound by ropes and sutras so he couldn't move but he let his amber eyes take in every part of his surroundings; the smell of the woodsmoke outside the priestess' home made his eyes water but he welcomed the sharp sting.

Some part of his mind warned him that this was not right, that he should not be here and that it was all too easy; but for once the usually practical youkai pushed those thoughts down and ignored them, nothing was important now but Inuyasha and checking he was alright.

_**(Meanwhile)**_

Sango watched the priestess silently as she healed Inuyasha, she unconsciously stroked her pregnant belly protectively and edged nearer to Miroku.

However, Miroku was not looking at her and didn't notice; surprised Sango looked up at her husband and followed his frowning gaze to the tied-up demon lord.

"He's awake."

Sango nodded, noticing those amber eyes studying her she shuddered.

"What should we do, Miroku?"

"We should never have got involved in the first place."

Sango recoiled from him and felt her cheeks redden, it had been her that had insisted they help the young hanyou find his brother.

"We can't change what's done, Miroku. We just have to adapt."

Sesshoumaru lay listening to the two mortals talk about him; he closed his eyes and concentrated on his breathing, finding his centre he focused all his will on moving his left arm – gradually he felt his fingers begin to twitch and then wriggle.

Sweat beaded on his brow and his brow furrowed with the effort; but slowly his arm began to lift until all of a sudden it pulled free of the sutra holding it and ripped through the ropes. Using his free hand he quickly slashed all the other sutras and the ropes to pieces; within seconds he stood before the group, he held his head high and resisted the urge to wipe his brow.

"This Sesshoumaru will see his brother now."

Miroku and Sango could only gape they were so shocked at seeing his break free of the sutras; however, both were trained fighters and it only took a moment before they both had their weapons out and ready.

Giving them a look of disdain Sesshoumaru ignored their weapons and strode past them into the small hut; on the ground being attended to by the priestess was Inuyasha.

"Will he live?"

The priestess did not look up from her task, her voice expressed no surprise that Sesshoumaru stood in her house.

"His injuries were severe and he may never walk again, but he will live."

Keeping a stoic mask on his emotion in front of the mortals Sesshoumaru nodded once and bent to pick up his brother, the priestess shook her head warningly and, although to have a mortal presume to give him an order was a great insult, he acceded and knelt on the floor beside them.

_**(Meanwhile)**_

Niakta felt a deep contentment fill her being and, though she had no solid body or form at the moment, she smiled.

This was better than she hoped, true she no longer had control over the body – but a body is weak.

Demonkind was, after all, partly her creation and Sesshoumaru's mind lay bare in front of her. He may have his body back, but his mind was far from his.

_A/N:- I am so sorry this has taken so long but I have had a dreadful few months as my step-dad has been in hospital and so on. However, I am back now and a chapter for 'The Father-The Son' will follow_


	14. The gates of Heaven

**Chapter 14**

"Esso?"

The tiny voice woke Sesshoumaru immediately, he rose quickly and knelt next to his brother; the blood had been cleaned from his body and hair, and he was clothed in a fresh kimono but his injuries were still evident and severe.

"What is it, Inu?" Sesshoumaru's voice was soft and warm.

"Why did Esso hurt Inu, did I do a bad thing?"

Sesshoumaru's heart contracted with pain, rage at the spirits of the shikon jewel rose within him and his claws cracked involuntarily.

"No, Inu, you weren't bad. This might be hard to understand but I was sick, and I didn't know what I was doing."

"Esso?"

"What?"

"Am I going to see Oka?"

"No, of course not; you're going to get better, I promise."

"Truly promise?"

A small smile quirked the corners of Sesshoumaru's mouth upwards.

"Truly promise. Now try to get some rest."

"Esso, where do we go when we go away forever?"

"I have heard tell of a beautiful land filled with green fields and blue lakes; the entrance to this land is a giant golden gate which opens wide when someone good and pure approaches."

Sesshoumaru sighed inwardly, he believed none of these things, they were human creations, but he would never admit this to Inuyasha.

"If I go there, I'm not going in."

Sesshoumaru looked down at his brother in surprise.

"Why not?"

"I'll wait outside for you, Esso. Then we can go in together."

_**(Meanwhile)**_

Kagome struggled to her feet taking in the black-haired young man in front of her; her mind swam as she tried to focus her swirling thoughts, she remembered something about a young man with snow-white hair and a sarcastic tongue.

"Naraku?" The name sounded oddly familiar, but she couldn't remember why. "Where is Onigumo?"

Naraku smiled, but his smile, instead of being comforting, seemed to remind Kagome of a lion about to eat.

"Onigumo sends his apologies Lady Kagome but he had to travel on; however, he has left me to guide you to his village."

"I don't want to go there any more."

Kagome looked as surprised as Naraku when she heard the words come out of her mouth; but she realised they were true, even though this village seemed her best way of getting home to Tokyo she somehow knew she was needed elsewhere.

"Where do you wish to travel to, Lady Kagome?"

"I…I don't know," she mumbled feeling foolish. "There is somebody I need to find."

"Then perhaps let us go to my village first and see if we can help locate your…somebody."

Kagome nodded slightly, still trying to clear the uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach; Naraku smiled once again, he would obey his master's wishes.

_A/N:- Wheeeeee….see another chapter. After months of non-chapter writing I have posted new chapters to ALL my running stories….happiness is._


	15. Losing my mind

_A/N- Oh my God it has been a ridiculous amount of time since I last updated this story. The reason this chapter is so short is I am still re-familiarising myself with the plot and remembering where I was taking it. But I thought an interim chapter is better than nothing….right….please….?!_

**Chapter 15**

The more time Kagome spent with Naraku the more convinced she was that he did not have her best intentions at heart, she almost missed the odd companionship she had begun to share with Onigumo before he had left; sighing deeply she once again wondered if she was utterly insane, after all she was wandering around feudal Japan with a complete stranger and a tiny fox demon.

It didn't help that every time she closed her eyes she saw the same face in her mind; it was so familiar and yet the name was always just out of reach, she knew she always dreamt of him, vivid real dreams that slipped from her like sand as soon as she woke.

_Who is he?_ Kagome thought in frustration. _Why can't I get him out of my mind?_

Naraku gritted his teeth in frustration, he was utterly sick to the back teeth of this mortal wench and her inane ramblings; he would have given anything to hear the satisfying crack her spine would make as he broke it. But fear of his master kept his hands by his sides and his face pulled into an interested mask as she talked yet again about some 'exam' thing in her home village of Toe-kee-oh.

_Soon_

_**Meanwhile**_

Niakta smiled to herself in satisfaction, at least she would have if she had not been a disembodied spirit inhabiting part of Sesshoumaru's mind. She had spent the last few hours scanning the tai-youkai's brain, how he thought, felt, acted, his memories, dreams, ambitions and fears. And now she was ready.

It was time.

Gently, slowly, she reached out with tendrils of her own consciousness; she caressed his mind and began to subtly manipulate it like a puppet on a string.

"I am hungry, bring me food." Sesshoumaru commanded to the old woman tending his brother

His eyes widened a little in shock, he hadn't realised he was going to say that. It had sounded like a stranger speaking with his voice, he wasn't hungry, he didn't eat human food.

Experimentally he tried opening his mouth to speak, but nothing happened, his jaw remained firmly closed and his tongue as still as if he had been born mute.

_What's happening to me?!_

Outside Kaede's tiny hut Sango sat by a small campfire, she leant against Miroku as they shared a meagre supper of strained vegetable soup.

He stroked her growing bump protectively and kissed the top of her head, for a short while they were content.


End file.
